price



(No Model) L. PRICE.

Pocket for Wearing Apparel.-

No. 239,544. Patented March 29,1881.

N. PETERS. PHOTO-LITHDGRAPHER. WASNXNGTON. D, C4

UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEVI PRICE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

POCKET FOR WEARING-APPAREL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 239,544, dated March29, 1881,

Application filed February 2, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, LEVI PRICE, of New Yorkcity, in the county of New York and State of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Pockets of Wearing-Apparel; and Ido hereby declare that the following is a full and exact descriptionthereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part'of this specification.

My invention relates more particularly to that kind of pantaloon-pocketsin which the ends of the pocket-opening are located in a line runningobliquely to the line of the sideseam of the garment, and is designedfor use mostly in the manufacture of that; class of goods known asoveralls, in which great strength-anddurability are the chiefessentials, owing to the rough usage to which garments of this class areusually subjected; but my said invention may be applied wit-h more orless advantages, and under various modifications of form, to either thatkind of pockets in which the ends of the pocket-openinglie in a linesubstantially parallel with the line of the side-seam of the garment, orthat otherkind in which the ends of said opening lie in a linesubstantially transverse to the line of said seam, (and consequentlyabout parallel with the seam, of the waistband,) and may, of course, beused in the construction of the pockets of pantaloons of any sort, aswellas in thepockets of other articles of wearing-apparel.

As is well known to those skilled in the art to which my inventionrelates, the weakest point or points of the pocket portion of a'garment, and the portion or portions most likely, therefore, to firstgive way, occurs (according to the form of the pocket-opening and itsrelative arrangement in the garment) at either one or at both ends ofthe pocket-openingthatis to say, at either one or both of the pointswhere the rim of the outer side or ply of the pocketpiece or pouch joinsthe material forming the rim of the inner or opposite ply of the pouch;and to strengthen or re-enforce either one or both of these points (asthe case might require) has long been sought to be accomplished byvarious means.

Previous to my invention it has been suggested, for instance, tostrengthen the pocketrim at its corners (in that kind of pocket l1avingthe opening about parallel with the waistband) by means of extensions ofthe facing of the outer ply ot' the pocket-piece or pouch ,re-

turned at the ends of the pocket-opening and .stitched to the body ofthe garment in lines about parallel with the waistband-seam; but

in a pocket thus re-enforced at the ends of its opening the rupturingstrain to which the pocket-opening isusually subjected must act in adirection substantially transverse to the direction in which runtheseams that secure the extended portions of the said facing to thegarment, and hence such strain will be very apt to rip the stitching ofthe re-enforce devices designed to sustain the pocket-corners against 1and metallic stays have also been employed,

variously applied, for a similar purpose; but

all such devices have been found either more or 3 less inefficent forthe designed purpose, or more or less objectionable for some otherreason.

It has also been suggested, previous to my invention, to supplement thepocket-o 'jening and usual facing thereto with a separate band orfacing-piece, arranged to bridge over the lower end of thepocket-opening in a manner analogous to the bridging of the fly-crotchof pantaloons but in such a contrivance not only is the cost of thegarment considerably increased, both by the addition of the materialnecessary for the bridge and by the extra work consequent to itsapplication, but the presence of any such strengthening device isexceedingly objectionable on account of its obstruction to a freeentrance into and withdrawal from the pocket of articles which thewearer may desire to carry in the pocket, especiallyin the case of theapplication of any such bridgelike device to the pockets of workmensoveralls, which have frequently to be used as the repository ofmechanics implements or tools.

I propose to insure the pocket-opening perfectly against the possibilityof rupture at its ends by a novel form and arrangement of the facing tothe outerply of the pocket, portions of which facing are stitched to thematerial of the garment in such manner that no amount ners depends; andto this object myinvention consists in the combination, with the garmentand with the pocket-piece or pouch applied thereto, of afacing orre-enforce of sufficiently strong material (preferably of the samematerial as that composing the body of the garment) securely stitched tothe inner surfaceof the outer ply or portion of the pocket-piece,returned on the adjacent surface of the opposite ply of the pocket in adirection about coincident With the line of the downward pull or usualstrain on the pocket-opening corner to be strengthened, and stitched tosaid opposite ply (or to it and any facing it may have) by seams runningsubstantially in the said-direction, all as will be hereinafter morefully explained.

- To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, Iwill proceed to more fully describe it, referring by letters totheaccompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and inwhich- Figure 1 is a face view or elevation, showin g part of a pair ofoveralls having thepockets made according to my invention, (the garmentbeing represented as being folded at a line about coincident with thatat which the side-seam of pantaloons occurs.) Fig. 2 is a view of thesame, looking at the folded edge, and with the pocket-flap (closed up inFig. 1) partially bent down and out, or partially opened, to moreclearly show the arrangement of the novel facing device; and Fig. 3 is aview of the same, looking at the garment from the same point of viewfrom which it is seen at Fig. 1, but with the pocket-flap pulled cleardown or opened out onto the legportion of the garment (in an unusualposition) to better show the conformation or shape of the novel facingdevice.

In the several figures the same part will be found designated by thesame letter-of reference.

A represents the main or garment portion of the material composing theoveralls. B is the usual waistband. G is the pouch-like receptacleorpocket-piece, and D the flap-like port-ion of the pocket. This flap-likeportion is faced with a piece of some suitably-stron g material, 6 0(preferably, inthiscase, the same as that of which the garment is made,)of a, shape such that its outer edge shall, for a portion of its length,coincide with the edgeof the flap D, as shown, while another portion of.

of flap-facings,) I have marked 0, while the extension, or tab-likeportion ofsaid facing, that is designed to perform the function of astay or support to the rearmost end of the pocketopening, I have marked0 The main portion 0 of this facing is seamed to the edge of the flap D,and, together with the edge of the latter, forms the rim of theflap-like portion of the pocket-opening, while the tab-like portion 6 ofsaid facing is stitched along both of its sides or edges to the garmentand pocketpiece, and also to the facing-piecef, when, as in the caseshown, such facing-piece is employed. The upper end of the tab-likeportion 6 of facing e e is, by preference, extended a short distance upinto the waistband B, as clearly indicated by dotted lines at Figs. 1and 3, wherein it is secured by the seam at the lower edge of said band.I prefer to also stitch the tab-like extension 0 to the garment, by ashort supplemental seam, close to the lower and hindmost end of thepocket opening, as indicated by the dotted lines at m, Fig. 3.

It will be seen that in a pocket made'according to my invention, and asshown and described herein, the lower hindmost end of thepocket-opening-that is, the crotch-like corner at 00, (seeFigs. 1 and2,).cannot be ruptured or broken down by any of the usual strains andwear to which this point is liable to be subjected, because such strainor downward pull,,(whether caused by the thrust of the hand and'arm ofthe wearer of the garment, or by the weight of tools thrust into thepocket,) will always be borne by the securely-fastened tablike extension0 of my novel facing device 6 e in the direction of its length and ofits lines of stitching, instead of coming on the stitching which unitesthe flap-like portion D of the pocket to the garment at the point at.

Any unusual or severe thrusting open of the flap and downward strain onthe outer side of the pocket-rim, and in the vicinity of the corner orpoint 00, will, of course, cause the-pocketopening to approach towardthe distended position in which it is seen at Fig. 3; but the downwardpressure thus exerted will not operate as usual to rupture the joint ofthe flap D with the garment at the point on, since this point ofjunction of the parts, and the stitching thereat, will be entirelyrelieved of strain by said stay or tab 0 In cutting out the facing 6 6the portion 0 should, of course, have its length run in the direction ofthe greatest tensional strength of the material of which the facingdevice may be made.

As I remarked at the outset, my invention may be applied in other formsof pocket-openin g than that shown and described, and the skilledmanufacturer will readily understand from this specification how topractice my improvement in pockets-of difierent shapes and difierentlyarranged in the garment, be the lattereither pantaloons or some otherarticle of wearing-apparel; for when it shall be borne in mind that thegist of the invention rests in having the facing of the flap-like orouter portion of the pocket shaped and arranged with the garment so thatits tab-like portion (or portions, if the pocket be of that kinddemandtion and operation of my invention, in the particular form inwhich I have so far practiced it, that any one skilled in the art canreadily practice the said invention in any form under which it iscapable of use, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is-- In combination with the garment and its pocket, the latterprovided with the usual .inner facing to its outer ply, tab-likeextensions formed integrally with the facing, extending up on thegarment, stitched to it, and operat ing, as described, to sustain, inthe direction of its length and scams, the usual downward strain thatwould otherwise come on the point 0 of juncture of the pocket-rim andgarment.

.In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this 1st day ofFebruary, 1881.

LEVI PRICE. [L. s.]

In presence of- S. A. EMANUEL, JACOB FELBEL.

It is hereby certified that at the time Letters Patent N 0. 239,544 wereissued to Levi Price, of New York, N. Y., March 29, 1881, for animprovement in Pockets for Wearing Apparel, there Was on record in'thisOffice (Liber F26, p. 387) an assignment from said Levi Price of hisentire interest to H. WVallachs Sons, of same place, and that the patentshould have been issued to said assignees that the proper correctionshave been made in the files and records relating to the casein thePatent Office, and are hereby made in said Letters Patent to make thetitle therein conform to the records of the Office.

Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 8th day of April, A. D. 1881.

[SEAL] A. BELL,

. Acting Secretary of the Interior. Gountersigned E. M. MARBLE,

Commissioner of Patents.

